What We're Reading This Morning -- March 28
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Good morning everyone! Yesterday we spent our morning on the steps of the Supreme Court, for a rally to protect women’s health. Hundreds of supporters from across the country came together, and made their voice heard: the Affordable Care Act matters. It was an energetic event, with patient stories, chants, and even some music. Make sure to check out some of our favorite photos from the event. Today, the court will resume session for its third and final day of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the health care law. We’ll keep you posted on this as the situation develops. In the meantime, here’s what we’re reading this morning….
The Affordable Care Act is vital to protecting women’s health. “Health law a leap forward for women's health care” – “The Supreme Court is again at the center of a highly controversial policy debate as it hears arguments for the Affordable Care Act. There’s been much discussion about the justices’ supposed political agendas. I’ve heard fearmongering about government takeovers and rumors of increased business costs. But I haven’t heard much about what’s really at stake: the welfare of the American people — specifically women. Women like my mother and the other mothers, wives, sisters and daughters who need preventive services to ensure that they are healthy. Our Constitution was created to ‘promote the general welfare.’ So a court that strikes down the health care law would not only shirk its constitutional responsibility, it would unduly injure the welfare of American women.”
A critical constituency: single women voters. “Single Women Voters: Democrats, Republicans Woo Unmarried Ladies” – “Political math tells the story of the so-called marriage gap: exit polls show that women are a majority of voters in presidential election years and about four in 10 female voters don't have a spouse. They lean more heavily Democratic than their married counterparts. But the U.S. census says about 22 percent of them are unregistered, a rich pool of potential new voters for both parties competing for the presidency and the majorities in Congress. Though single women are among the most Democratic groups in the electorate, recent political history gives Republicans hope: In the 2010 elections, Republican House candidates grabbed their highest share of women's votes in decades, at 49 percent. Single women also were hit harder than others by the recession Obama inherited. So in both parties, the race is on to woo single women, register them to vote and inspire them to show up at the polls.”
Many women use birth control for reasons other than preventing pregnancy. “When birth control isn't for birth control” – “Since the 1950s, medicine has found many uses for what are still generally called oral contraceptives, although they now come in other forms such as implants and patches. At the annual meeting of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver this year, a researcher outlined the medical advantages for certain women. (Note: The pill also is linked to medical risks.) It appears to be protective against endometrial and ovarian cancer, and the longer women take it, the greater the benefit in this regard. They are used to treat ovarian cysts, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, breakthrough bleeding and painful menstrual periods. Why shouldn’t women who suffer from these very real ailments have access to appropriate medication? Not to mention women for whom pregnancy itself is medically dangerous?”
